Trout clout leads Angels’ rout of Mets
NEW YORK— Mike Trout drew a nopitch intentional walk his first time up, a decision by Mets manager Terry Collins that prompted scattered boos around the ballpark.
All those fans who hoped to see Trout hit, well, they didn’t have to wait long.
Trout homered, doubled and drove in three early runs, C.J. Cron hit a grand slam and the Los Angeles Angels bolted to a big lead in beating New York 12-5 Sunday.
“We weren’t missing pitches,” Trout said.
Aiming to avoid a three-game sweep, the Angels built a 9-0 lead by the third inning. Andrelton Simmons and Jefry Marte also homered for Los Angeles.
The Mets have yielded four slams this year, tied with San Diego for most in the majors. Three of the slams against the Mets have come in the first inning. “We know we can hit. We have a confident offence,” Cron said. “It hasn’t been the best stretch for some of us.”
Cron and Marte have slumped this season. No such trouble for Trout, who homered for the sixth time in nine games.
The reigning AL MVP hit his 14th homer, raised his league-leading onbase percentage to .466, drew two walks, scored twice and stole a base.
A day after Collins said he was tempted to intentionally walk Trout with the bases loaded while trying to navigate with a ninth-inning lead, the skipper passed the Angels star to load the bases with no outs in the first. “I don’t get frustrated,” Trout said. Many of Trout’s family members and friends made the 130-mile drive from his New Jersey hometown to see this series, and wanted to watch him swing. They got to see plenty from Trout soon enough — he batted three times before some of the Mets starters came to the plate even once.
Matt Reynolds, Curtis Granderson and Jay Bruce hit home runs as the Mets tried to rally.
Cron’s long slam highlighted a fiverun first, and Trout hit a two-run homer and Marte followed with a home run in the second that chased Tommy Milone. Trout lined an RBI double off the centre-field wall in the third.
Abases-loaded walk to Marte set up Cron’s his first homer of the season and second career slam, making it 5-0 before Milone retired anyone. Claimed off waivers from Milwaukee this month, the lefty was tagged for a career high-tying eight runs and three homers.
“It seemed like anytime I threw the ball over the plate, they were hitting it. That’s obvious,” Milone said.